Someone To Save You
by leyton-is-lovee
Summary: She’s hiding something. That much is obvious because she’s avoided his question, but that’s the only way he knows for sure. He used to know. He used to look at her and just know. They’re so disconnected. Alternate LP 2x10.


**I don't own it, just like I don't own "Someone To Save You".**

Haven't listened to OneRepublic in a while and I forgot how good they were. This song is LP to a T; at least in this fic haha.

So, this is just a one-shot. I was thinking about past episodes and stuff and season two was a bit of a lackluster season for our dear LP, but that didn't mean that the scenes were got were crap. It's 2x10, but centered on LP (duhh). I've heard, and maybe most of you have heard, that Lucas was supposed to go to Peyton's door that night, but last minute changes had him going to Brooke's (whatever). Here's the version we all deserved. Smut seems to pour from my veins.

I haven't watched all of 2x10 in a while so my timing of things are probably off, but it's never a certain holiday on the show so I'm allowed to play around too. LOL.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Patience took you for everything  
Looked like a diamond ring  
You are so much longer  
That made sense_

_  
Apathy in disguise  
Crept on you like a spy  
Hurt you in ways  
You can't describe_

He stands in her doorway and watches as she holds the phone to her ear. Her house is quiet which means her dad isn't home; big surprise. He can only assume that's who she's calling. He hears her quietly beg the person to answer and when they don't she hangs up. She leans against her desk and keeps her head down.

The soft rapping of his knuckles against her door doesn't even cause her to look up. In fact, she doesn't seem to notice that someone's in her house until he says; "Hey."

She looks up before looking back down. "Hey", she says and even though it's soft, he can hear the shock in her tone. Like she never expected him to come here; it hurts.

He shoves his hands into his pockets and walks into her room; taking the time to look around. "So uhh, I saw you cut outta lunch today . . . I was just wondering how you were doing?" she can't really believe he's here. They've barely spoke ten sentences since he got back from Charleston and now he's here trying to what?

Rescue her.

"Been better", she mutters and her face falls. She doesn't like to be this girl. The weak one that needs someone to comfort her, but he'll gladly take that role.

"Hey, come here", he says gently and takes her into his arms. She folds into him and he cups the back of her neck. God, she's missed his hugs. They break apart and he looks at her. "Let's sit down", he says and moves to her bed before he does.

He sits beside her with his hands resting over his knees. She's broken and it kills him. She bites her thumbnail and he almost smiles. It's a nervous tendency.

"So, do you know who wrote it? On your locker?" he clarifies. He's completely enraged that someone would ever do that in general. Let alone to Peyton.

To _his_ Peyton.

No. She's not his anymore

"No. I don't even wanna know. I just want all of it to all go away just . . . all of it", she says while shaking her head. He nods and because of his movements his eyes catch something. He picks up the sketch and stares at it.

"You miss Jake huh?" he holds the small drawing in his hand and has the overwhelming urge to crumple it up. He doesn't know if it's because he doesn't think Jake's good enough or because . . .

No, that can't be it.

She looks at the drawing and then back at him. She feels a bunch of different emotions, but the two that stick out are embarrassment because he was never meant to see that sketch. And anger, she's angry that he'd say that. "You should go", she says while standing from her bed.

He's gone too far

"Peyton . . ." he starts and stands from her bed.

"No. Okay, you can't just walk in here and ask me something like that", she's so worked up that her hands are moving around and her body's practically shaking. "When is the last time we even had a conversation about something real?"

"I just thought you could use a friend", he says softly. When he had decided to follow her out of the quad he didn't think they would end up fighting.

"Yeah I could use a friend you know, but you don't qualify as that anymore, Lucas because a _real friend_ would know about all the _crap_ I've been dealing with lately", she takes a deep breath after because she forgot to breathe.

He holds out his hand. "Like what?"

_Cocaine. A lesbian encounter. Missing you._

"Just go, please", she whispers instead of saying any of those things. He stares at her. She's hiding something. That much is obvious because she's avoided his question, but that's the only way he knows for sure. He used to know. He used to look at her and just _know_.

They're so disconnected.

He can't force her to talk and he can't make her stop being anger so he surrenders. "Okay, I'll go" he walks to her door, but pauses in the archway. She places her hands on her hips and blinks rapidly as her eyes water.

"Whatever you think, I really do care about you, Peyton", he whispers and even though ever fiber of his being is screaming at him not to, he leaves.

_Back to the start now  
I won't let you go this way now_

A few days later he's knocking on his brother's apartment door. He hears the muffled voice of the younger Scott and walks into the house. Nathan's dressed in a black shirt and slacks. His hairs gelled too.

"Is this my apology?" he asks as he stares at the dinner his younger brother's prepared. Nathan shakes his head.

"No, this is Haley's apology. I don't owe you one", he says with a smirk as he puts his hands in his pockets. "You know why? Because nobody wants to lose you, Luke; not your mom, not Keith, not Haley, not me", Nathan watches as his brother walks over to the kitchen countertop.

"There's nothing wrong with my heart, Nate", the topic of his HCM testing has been swirling for a while and Lucas is sick of talking about it.

Nathan walks over to the opposite side. "Yeah", he seems to question. "That's what you said after your car accident. You told me you didn't wanna be afraid to live your life"

"That's right", Lucas says while nodding his head. Maybe his brother's finally getting it.

"Well, I don't buy it, Luke. I think there's something in your heart you're running from", he says in the only way Nathan Scott can.

Or maybe not.

"What are you psychic?" he quips. This trip to his brother and best friend's apartment has taken a whole different direction. It seems to happen a lot when he visits someone.

"You can make jokes about it all you want. You know there's a girl you have feelings for", Lucas freezes and wonders, for a split second, if his brother really is a psychic. They're definitely not talking about his possible HCM anymore.

"Nathan –"

"Look me in the eye; tell me I'm wrong", he dares. The blonde is speechless and his eyes dart around the room. He can see the smirk his brother wears.

"See, now you can be mad at me for all you want, you can say your hearts fine, but until you tell this girl how you feel your hearts gonna be flawed", he shrugs and picks up the other set of silverware, "You need to talk to her, Luke."

The boy with the shaved head nods and walks to the door. He says goodbye and Nathan nods. As he finishes setting up the dinner he watches Lucas walk down the stairs and across the parking lot.

He hopes his brother goes to the right house.

_Honesty is what you need  
It sets you free  
Like someone to save you  
Let it go, but hurry now  
There's undertow and I don't want to lose you now_

He walks up the pathway to a house he's seen a few times. After talking to his brother he went home and showered. He had figured the silence would do him some good and it did, which is why he was here. He hates to do this, but he has to. His brother made him realize that he's wrong in trying to hide his feeling. He did that once before and it ended in heartache.

He pauses at the door and knocks a few times. Once the door opens he smiles softly and sticks his hand in his back pocket.

"Hey, sorry about this", he refers to the time; it's pretty late. "I just had to see you."

He closes his eyes after saying that. It makes it seem like this is going to be a good conversation. He doesn't know why it'll be so bad. Are they even officially dating? Are they friends who kinda, sometimes, kiss? He's broken from his thoughts when she speaks.

"Lucas, what's wrong?" she immediately sees his pensive stare and feels concerned. She hasn't been in Tree Hill that long, but what she's learned from Peyton is that the boy in front of her is notorious for breaking hearts.

"You know how much I care about you Anna, because I do", she smiled widely. "But there's somebody else", that smile fades, but oddly enough a small smirk remains.

"She's a part of my history that came before you and I've been lying to myself about the way I feel about her . . . and I need to see her tonight, cause I feel like she's slipping away", the dark skinned girl simply looks at him.

"I'm sorry, Anna", he whispers.

And the door is slammed in his face.

He walks off the porch and down the pathway when the door opens again. Not really knowing what she could have to say, he turns to look at her.

"Ass-hat!" she yells and slams the door again.

Lucas nods. He deserved that.

_All right sit down and spill your heart  
Lets start from the very start  
'Cause I can see by your eyes  
You're wasted_

_  
Your energy comes and goes  
You taking your time, you know  
Nothing can change what happened_

He's a lot more hesitant to walk up this pathway. The last time he was in this house it didn't end well. He doesn't know why it's so much easier for him to talk to other people about his feelings, but when it matters the most he chickens out. He finally takes a breath and turns towards the door.

And then Peyton comes rushing out.

"Oh God!" she yells as she bumps right into him. He lets out a noise and holds onto her as she nearly falls to the ground. He grips her waist and she stares up into his deep blue eyes.

There's no way he's here right now. She blinks a few times and his brow furrows. He's definitely here. _Perfect timing_, she thinks sarcastically.

He stands her on her feet and brings his hands up to her shoulders. He acts like he's making sure she's steady, but he really wants an excuse to touch her.

"You okay?" she shakes him off and nods her head. He looks at her and nods also. This is pretty awkward. "I was hoping we could talk."

Her face falls. She really needs to meet Rick. She really needs a line. He makes a pleading face and that need crumbles slightly. Before she knows it, she's nodding and they're both walking into her house.

"What up?" she asks as she stands near her staircase. He puts his hands in his pockets and looks at her. She looks a bit on edge and it makes him unexpectedly nervous.

"Were you going somewhere just now?" he asks instead of what he really wants to say. She pauses and shakes her head. Her curls sway with the movements.

"No . . . what do you wanna talk about?" this can't take too long. She'll still have plenty of time to kick Lucas out and go meet Rick. She folds her arms around herself and Lucas clears his throat.

"I guess nothing too specific. I just felt bad about how we ended things", he stops and her eyes widen. "The other day, how we ended things the other day", he quickly adds.

She nods her head and hopes her heart stops thumping in her chest. He looks at her and she almost thinks he can hear it. But that's impossible. She sighs and bites her lip. The time is ticking.

"Are you sure you don't have somewhere you need to be?" he asks when he notices her eyes flicker to the clock on the wall. She looks at him and shrugs her shoulders.

"I guess not", she mumbles. Peyton takes off her leather jacket and tosses it on her staircase. Lucas frowns.

"If you have something else to do, don't let me keep you", she raises a brow. It sounds like he's challenging her or that he's jealous, but that can't be it. She shakes her head once more. He can't just come here and expect her to fall into his arms. And now he's getting an attitude?

"I don't need this", she murmurs and takes off up her stairs. He's stationary for a second; watching as she ascends the wooden steps. What just happened? Lucas follows after her and when he's on the fourth step he angrily asks;

"What _do_ you need!?"

She stops on the second floor, right near her bedroom door and whirls around to look at him. Her eyes are wild with anger, but he sees the vulnerability there.

"You!" she yells back. He almost considers it a slip of tongue, but then she says; "I just need you."

He watches as she walks into her bedroom.

_So, back to the start now  
I won't let you go this way now_

By the time he makes it into her room she's standing on the other side, staring out the window. He walks right in and takes a deep breath. This is a moment he's been waiting for since he was eight; even more so since the beginning of the year.

"Peyton –"

She tenses and closes her eyes. The tears continue to spill. She hadn't meant to say that, she _shouldn't_ have said that. She takes in a deep, shaky breath and lets it out slowly.

"I didn't mean it", she cuts him off. Her voice is thick with emotion and he can see her arm rise as she wipes away the tears. He takes a few more steps into the room and clenches his fists. Surprise, surprise! Peyton's running.

"Come on, Peyton. Let's talk about this", he pleads. She hugs her arms close around her body and walks over to her computer. Her green eyes find the sketch she did a few months ago. Brooke, Lucas, and herself; all aiming at a heart with Lucas's infamous number 3.

"There's nothing to talk about, Lucas", she mumbles.

Her phone vibrates and without looking at it she reaches over to pick it up. Before she flips it open she looks at the name. She puts it back on her desk and even though the vibration noises annoy her, she cannot answer that phone call. Suddenly, this interaction with Lucas is too much for her to bear. Eventually her phone stops vibrating and it display's her missed call.

_Brooke._

"Don't do that, Peyton! Don't hide from your feelings. You did that once before and it ended –"

Lucas is angrier now then he was before. He refuses to let her get away with this. She turns around and stares at him with what can only be described as disgust.

"With you jumping into bed with my best friend?" she asks coldly and he takes a step back. "I . . . I remember", she whispers. That was a bit of a low blow, she can admit it, but she doesn't care. The third person in their torrid triangle has just tried to call her and it brought up some painful memories.

"Peyton . . ." he whispers. He never meant to hurt her. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her. He loves her. That's what he came here to talk about in the first place. "I didn't mean to –"

"You should leave", she says before he can say anything else. But unlike that afternoon a few days ago he stands his ground. He won't leave. He completely disregards her request and stands in her room.

Her face falls and her shoulders slump. She really cannot handle him being here anymore. She's ten seconds away from a breakdown. "Leave!" he doesn't move and the strong façade she's had up fades away.

"Why are you even here?" she asks in confusion.

_Honesty is what you need  
It sets you free like someone to save you  
Let it go, but hurry now  
There's undertow and I don't want to lose you now  
Don't want to lose you now, now_

He smiles and steps towards her. "Because, my little brother not so subtlety told me to stop being a doofus and to follow my heart", he whispers and her eyes cloud with tears.

"And it led me here", he whispers and cups her face gently. For a fraction of a second she leans into his touch. Her eyes close and she breathes out calmly. Lucas savors every bit of it. He knows its going to happen and so when her eyes fly open and his hand loses the warmth of her face he isn't as hurt as an unsuspecting person would be.

"After he and I talked I knew I had to come and see you", he shrugs and hopes she understands. After a beat of silence he surrenders; "I don't know what else to say."

"It's not about what you say, Lucas. It's about what you do", she whispers dejectedly. His eyes snap to hers and she may not realize it, but she's sparked a memory he keeps close to his heart.

_He watched as she rested on her stomach on the comforter of her bed. Completely unfazed by anything else going on around her. he stuck his hands in his pockets and called out to her quietly;_

"_Hey."_

_She rested her weight on her elbows and looked over at Lucas. To say she was surprised to see him would have been an understatement. They weren't really on the best of terms._

"_You okay?"_

"_I've got some stuff going on", she said vaguely. He didn't warrant the rights to get an inside look to her life. Not anymore._

_He nodded slightly. "I know", he took a breath and walked into her room. "Look, I – I just wanted to apologize . . . again."_

_She looked back down at her comforter. His gaze was too intense. "For not being a better person lately", she remained silent, "I'm trying, Peyton . . . I don't know what else to say", he said helplessly and shrugged his shoulders._

_Her face distorted and she looked over at him. "It's not about what you say, Luke, it's about what you do", she said seriously. "If you don't like the person you've become then _do_ something about it 'cause no one's gonna do it for you", it was brutal, but he loved that she didn't hold back._

"_I know", he said without hesitation. "That's why I came by", he watched as her brows furrowed slightly. He let out a breath, this was harder then he expected it to be. "I'm gonna be making a few changes and I just wanted to see you before I do", he said softly and smiled ever so slightly._

_Peyton had to look down again. She scolded her stomach for fluttering and her heart for pounding in her ears. She was supposed to be upset about Jake leaving. She _was_ upset about Jake leaving._

_Until Lucas showed up._

"_I'll be seeing you", he said with that same smirk as he back out of her room. He needed to see her until the last possible second. She laid back down after he left her room._

_But, he leaned against the wall outside her door for just an extra minute; hoping the lavender and vanilla smell would stay with him._

"Do you know why I left?" he asks and she furrows her brows. "Why I went to Charleston", he clarifies. She shakes her head; this is completely random.

"For you, I left to become a better person for you, Peyton", he tells her honestly. She opens her mouth, but he holds his hand up and she closes it. "But, when I came back you and Brooke were so close again . . . I didn't wanna ruin that again."

"Then why are you telling me now?" she asks as her voice shakes. He closes the gap between them and tilts her chin to look into his eyes.

"I don't want to hide anymore. I left for you and I came back for you", her eyes widen and her breath hitches. "And I was nervous", he admits with a chuckle. "I love you, Peyton", he says softly; like the worlds best kept secret.

He watches as her eyes light up and a small, unconscious smile graces her lips. He's never wanted to kiss her more then in this moment. "And that makes me nervous", he explains his earlier comment.

She looks confused by his words and he closes his eyes. More explanations. He swallows hard and makes sure to maintain eye contact.

"Because loving you is hard", he whispers as he places his hands on her arms. "I didn't think that when I fell in love it would be with someone who was so _afraid_ of love", it may be uncalled for, but it's the truth.

He's in love with her and that's the scariest thing she can imagine.

_Oh, my, look at your bright stars fade so  
How much can you take?_

"Lucas", she whispers. The walls are closing in on her and she feels incredibly dizzy. She's wanted to hear those words from him for so long, but it almost seems too late for them.

"I know, okay? I know I suck and I know I've hurt you, but if you give me another chance . . . Peyton, I swear –"

"I shouldn't have to give you a second chance", she argues. "You shouldn't have screwed up in the first place." She takes a step back and his arms fall to his sides.

"I know that", he raises his voice, but she knows he isn't angry – at least not with her. "I know, but Peyton, I love you, I'm in love with you and I needed you to know. I couldn't go another day without telling you", he whispers.

She takes in a gust of air. All she wants to do is kiss him. She wants to forget everything and kiss him silly, but she won't. Her heart won't let her. "You really came here after talking to Nathan?"

He nods, but then stops. "Well, I went to talk to Anna", she rolls her eyes, "But I wanted to let her know that I was thinking about someone else. She kind of understood", he says as he thinks back to the name calling and door slamming.

"Nobody can get hurt in this", he says with a smile. _Except me_, she thinks.

"You didn't go by Brooke's?" she doesn't know why she asks it. Well, maybe she does, but the last thing she wants is to look like a jealous girlfriend. She thinks she looks even crazier when he furrows his brows and shakes his head;

"No, why would I?"

She shrugs and tries to look indifferent. Lucas isn't dense. He frowns and daringly reaches for her hand. When she doesn't pull away he smiles.

"Peyton, I don't want Brooke, besides she has Felix. And I don't want you to think that I'm only here because she's dating someone else; I'd be here regardless – he begins what he knows will be a never-ending ramble, but is cut short because she kisses him.

She kisses him.

_She's kissing him_.

It's hard and long and he wraps his arms around her waist. She slips her tongue into his mouth and he pulls her impossibly close. He buries his hand wrist deep into her curls. God, he's missed these golden ringlets.

He can't believe he almost called Jake tonight.

_Honesty is what you need  
It sets you free like someone to save you  
Let it go, but hurry now  
There's undertow and I don't want to lose you now_

Their kissing heats up and soon enough her legs are around his waist and he's carrying them to her bed. He gently lays her atop it and before he leans back down to kiss her she leans up and undoes the small buttons on his shirt; from the last one up. He closes his eyes.

She undoes top button and pushes the striped shirt from his body. It falls to the floor and her hands go to the hem of the orange t-shirt he has on. She seems to hesitate and so he tucks a stray curl behind her ear. Her eyes meet his and past the lust, he sees the love she holds for him.

In an instant his shirts off and thrown somewhere else. She takes the moment to stare at his torso and feels her breath get lost. He's a beautiful boy. He gently pushes her to lie flat against the bed and he crawls up the length of her body while his hands hungrily trail over her jean covered legs.

Oh how he loves her legs.

When he reaches the hem of her shirt he pushes it up and leaves hot, open mouthed kisses starting from her belly button up to her breasts. She closes her eyes and remembers that day that seems like so long ago. This time she has no intention of stopping.

Her shirt leaves her body and Lucas takes the time to drink in the sight of her. She's wearing a black lace bra and before he can stop himself his lips are crashing down onto hers and his hands are reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. Once he gets those two small hooks undone she arches her back and slips it off her shoulders. The feel of her naked chest pressed against his makes them both groan.

He kisses her cheeks and her nose and her neck and then he finds that spot on her neck that he found when they were . . . whatever they were and she moans loudly. He smirks against her skin and she almost rolls her eyes. Instead her hands go to his belt and once that's out of the way she unbuttons his jeans and pulls down his zipper.

He kicks off his shoes and his jeans fall with a thud to the floor. His lips never leave hers. Even when she arches into him and rubs against his arousal; he groans right against the top of her breast. His hands however, fly to her jeans.

They're undone in no time at all and as he pulls them down her body he makes sure to take her panties with them. Once she takes off her shoes her jeans slip off and she's completely naked.

He simply stares at her. He shakes his head at the soft blush that creeps into her cheeks. She's gorgeous. He pushes his boxers to the floor and it's his turn to blush as she looks at him.

They're such dorks.

He rips open the condom she gave him between their making out and climbs back onto the bed. He rests above her; making sure to keep his weight on his elbows and she stares into his emotion filled blue eyes. Her hands clasp around his neck and she pulls his lips to hers for a searing kiss. It's any confirmation he needs. One of his hands reaches for her and he takes it off of his neck before interlocking their fingers. Then he enters her.

Contrary to what Brooke used to accuse them of they've never don't this before. But this feels right.

She's warm and familiar and he feels like he's home. That's the scariest part for both of them. They're too young to feel the intense feelings they have for each other. People their age are sleeping around and getting drunk and cramming for exams. High school isn't about finding your soul mate.

"I love you", she whispers for the first time all night – first time ever and he grins wider then should be allowed. His large, rough hand cups her cheek and he looks into her eyes.

"I love you too."

Maybe they got lucky.

She wraps her legs tighter around his waist and he pushes in and out of her. She untangles her hand from his and trials them both up and down his back. The contours of his muscles make her shiver. Peyton runs her hand over his shaved head and the feeling makes her smirk.

His movements increase and she bites down on her lip. To him that's the sexiest thing ever. Her breaths increase and she meets his thrusts with her own. The pressure of their actions causes them both to pant loudly and Peyton screams out Lucas's name. Two thrusts later, he follows.

_Someone to save you_

_Someone to save you_

_Someone to save you_

He lies atop her as long as he thinks she can handle and then rolls to the side before standing from the bed. His legs feel like jello, but it's the best type of pain. He tosses the condom into the garbage and grabs the throw blanket that got pushed to the floor.

Peyton moves to the head of the bed and as Lucas joins her on the other side he spreads it over them both. Peyton curls up into his side and he kisses the top of her head. He licks his lips and holds her a little closer.

Lavender and vanilla tastes even better then it smells.

"I'm not scared of love", she whispers suddenly. He furrows his brows. "I'm scared of loving _you_", she counters and he feels his heart clench.

"Peyton I –"

"I know", she cuts him off. "I know you've changed and I believe you", she whispers with a smile. She tilts her head up and looks at him. "I trust you", she whispers before kissing him tenderly.

To him that's almost better then hearing her say she loves him. Peyton trusts him. The blonde in his arms doesn't trust many people and the fact that now he's one of those people . . . well; he won't screw it up again.

"_Completely_, we have to trust each other completely", he bargains and she nods before resting her head against his naked skin once more. Complete trust. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"I was going to meet Rick", she whispers as she draws an invisible pattern on his chest. He makes a face. That name sounds familiar, but he can't really put a face to it. "He was at TRIC a few nights ago . . ." she trails off and he remembers exactly who this guy was.

Haley had mentioned him in conversation. She said he was kind of a slime-ball and that he creeped her out. He doesn't know why Peyton would be going to meet him, but then it registers that he probably had some more bands for her to look into. Then he shakes his head.

Not at 11 o'clock at night.

"Peyton . . ." she's been silent for a while and it scares him. She's scared because she doesn't want him to change his mind.

"The night he was at TRIC . . . I did a line of coke with him", she rushes out, but she knows Lucas heard her perfectly. His arms are wrapped around her so tightly she almost can't breathe.

"I'll kill him", she hears him grumble. Her matted curls sway as she shakes her head.

"It's just as much my fault."

"That's bull, Peyton", he says passionately. "The guy's way older and he has no business bringing a teenage girl into that stuff", he argues.

"I could have said no, but I didn't."

"Why didn't you?" he doesn't want to judge, but he knows she's better then that crap.

"I was weak", she whispers and he frowns. He rests his cheek atop her head and she continues. "I was going to meet him for more tonight, I only did it that one time, and when I was leaving my house I ran into you on my porch", he can hear the smile she wears. "I guess it was a sign."

"If that sign is that I'll always be there to save you, then absolutely", he says seriously. She looks up at him for the first time and sure enough, he can see all her teeth; she kisses him quickly.

Her head falls back against his shoulder and her eyelids grow heavy. Sleeps quickly approaching and before it takes over she says;

"I really do love you, Lucas Scott."

He holds her close and his eyes shut. Those words are some of the best he's ever heard in his entire life. He has to remember to thank his little brother.

"I love you too, Peyton Sawyer", her breaths are even and he knows she's sleeping. Even though she can't hear it and he'll repeat it a million more times he says;

"And I always will."

_Save you, save you  
Someone to save you  
What you need is  
Someone to save you_

* * *

Let me know what you think!


End file.
